DICKSON, Tenn. — A puppy found by fishermen with a missing leg, has been adopted by a veteran who is also an amputee.
The veteran, Joshua Ferguson says he and his new puppy Scooter have a special bond.
"It's impossible to not smile around him," Ferguson said. "Everybody's so happy to see him; then they notice he's got three legs. 'He's happy you were overjoyed to see him, don't pity him!'"
Ferguson lost his leg while serving in the military and is still living with the trauma today.
"We survived, here we are, and I say 'we' because all 5 of us out on the truck lived which is pretty rare with that type of IED," Ferguson said, "There's silver linings to anything, you can find something, and even if you can't, somebody's had it worse! So stop complaining."
That fighting spirit has served both Ferguson and Scooter well.
"He makes it easier for me to remember, hey it's still a beautiful day," Ferguson said, "You realize really just how tremendous a journey life is."
Scooter and Ferguson have taken up yoga, and they're working on healing mentally and physically.
"As tragic as his situation is, at best or at worst, I'm pretty frickin blessed," Ferguson said.
One day, Joshua hopes to train Scooter as a service or therapy dog. His dream is to visit amputees at local hospitals through a volunteer program.
This story was originally published by Alexandra Koehn on WTVF in Nashville.
